play contractions
Usage Notes

On Contractions of Multiple Words

You all would not have guessed some of these


Everyone knows contractions like didn't and would've, but what about more complicated ones? Editor Serenity Carr takes a look at situations where as many as five words can be contracted at the same time.


Transcript:

You're probably familiar with regular contractions made with two words like you'd and didn't. And you've probably even used contractions with three words like she'd've and wouldn't've. I'd've thought they'd've been familiar to you and you wouldn't've been surprised to hear them.

But can we contract more than three words? More than four? You'dn't've guessed they're possible, but they are. Many are dialectal or regional. Y'all'll've heard them from Southerners in places like Texas or Georgia, where they'dn't've thought twice about using them. We could've guessed at more, but at some point y'all'dn't've been able to understand them anyway.

Up next

play contractions
On Contractions of Multiple Words

 

You all would not have guessed some of these

play video old school grammar humorsome
Old-School Grammar

 

Many of today's grammar rules can be traced to the opinions of one 18th century writer.

play video drive safe ly
Drive Safe: In Praise of Flat Adverbs

 

You don't have to end all your adverbs in -ly to talk right.

play video cynic
The History of 'Cynic'

 

How an ancient philosophical movement devoted to the pursuit of virtue came to describe eye-rolling criticism.

play video ghost words
How a Ghost Word Appeared in the Dictionary

 

An imaginary word that snuck into the dictionary

play is none singular or plural video
Is 'None' Singular or Plural?

 

Or both? Or neither?

play calendar that says day today
Is It 'Day today' or 'Day-to-day'?

 

What about Day Tomorrow?